iPod Touch 5th Generation 16 GB Teardown

Teardown

Featured Guide

Just in time for summer, Apple snuck a little surprise into their online stores on May 30, and 'little' is the operative word. Less storage, one less camera, and a full .06 ounces lighter. Join us to see the iPod Touch's new summer beach body!

The only visual difference between the new and newer iPod Touch is color—one is #FFFFFF and the other is #000000.

Well, that and the absence of a rear camera and Touch Loop, of course.

The exclusion of two main components has earned the iPod Touch 5th Generation 16 GB a new model number from its 32 and 64 GB brothers: A1509.

The last major cosmetic change we found is the location of the microphone. The microphone has been shuffled over from its spot next to the camera up to the top of the rear case, adjacent to the power button.

We use our trusty iOpener to loosen the adhesive securing the front panel to the rear case. We're getting used to this opening method, as it melts adhesive as fast as water melts the wicked witch, without risking screen warp.

The first obvious internal difference between the Touches is the lack of a wrist strap post inside the rear case. The speaker, originally curved to surround the post, remains unchanged.

We presume that Apple chose to stop including the wrist strap in an attempt to cut down on the cost of cutting a hole in the rear case, so be sure to hold on tight!

The iPod Touch 5th Generation 16 GB retains the same battery performance as the 32 GB and 64 GB models. The battery is optimized to provide up to 40 hours of music and 8 hours of video when fully charged.

Similarly, the display is, well…the same. Want some information about the display? Well, step right up!

Excellent teardown, but I disagree with "iPods and iPads are not cameras." iPads probably shouldn't be- they're massive and cumbersome. I would be embarrassed to take a picture with one of them. I'll grant that the video camera on the 5th generation Nano was pointless, but what makes an iPod Touch 5th generation so different from an iPhone that it shouldn't be used as a camera? Most people can't even tell the difference between the two without close examination- my (black) 5th generation has been confused for an iPhone 5 several times, and the camera is incredibly handy.

I was using this to walk me through repairing a clients iPod touch with no rear iSight.. I discovered that the rear housing I had on hand was for the model with the iSight.. I can't find a replacement housing for this model A1509 to save my life!

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It's time to speak out for your right to repair

Dear New Yorkers,

Right now, New York has a chance to pass the first Fair Repair bill in
the nation. We have a chance to guarantee our right to repair electronics—like
smartphones, computers, and even farm equipment. We have a chance to help
the environment and stand up for local repair jobs—the corner mom-and-pop
repair shops that keep getting squeezed out by manufacturers.